The Rashi School Hosts Berklee College's First Jewish Acapella Group

To kick off the season of giving thanks, The Rashi School held a joyous celebration on Friday, November 22, featuring Rashi alum Mayta Cohen (‘15) and her award-winning acapella group BerKalit. Performing classic Jewish songs in the last Kabbalat Shabbat before the Thanksgiving break. Students, staff members and families came together to welcome in the Sabbath and even had the opportunity to participate in a sing-along with these accomplished vocalists.

“We were thrilled to have Mayta visit and lead the performance with her talented BerKalit group,” said Rashi School Director of Enrollment Management Danielle Rettinger. “Mayta is a perfect example of a Rashi graduate who practices the school’s mantra, showing how a life-changing education can result in a world-changing student.”

Based in Boston, BerKalit is Berklee College of Music’s first Jewish acapella group. Founded and directed by Mayta in 2022, members represent several religions; all share a love for singing Jewish music and the desire to foster community through vocal harmony.

“It meant so much to show my members where I come from — the place that inspired me to become a Jewish leader myself,” explained Mayta. “Rashi gave me countless opportunities through group projects, musical theater, and student council.”

Added Cohen, “Throughout my time at Rashi, my teachers and my peers supported me in my musicianship and leadership, and I left feeling confident that I could bring my creative visions to life. Now I do that every single day, and I know that is in large part thanks to those formative moments at Rashi.”

Rashi alumni frequently visit the school to meet with students. They share their lives after Rashi, the career paths they have pursued and their continued commitment to social justice. Added Rettinger, “We are thankful for Rashi’s fabulous kehillah (community), including the hundreds of alumni currently making a difference in the Jewish world.”

About The Rashi School

The Rashi School is Greater Boston's Reform Jewish Independent School for Grades PK-8. In our warm and inclusive community, children are appreciated for who they are as they learn and develop. The school's unique integration of rigorous secular academics and Jewish learning, commitment to differentiated instruction, and mission rooted in social justice nurtures students’ curiosity to learn, to ask and answer tough questions, and to critically evaluate multiple perspectives. With kindness at their core, Rashi students go on to top high schools and universities and become Jewish leaders who work to make the world a better place.